How We Structure Our Small Group PT Sessions

Estimated read time: 2 minutes 21 seconds.

Dear Fitpreneurs,

Small group personal training is an art.

There’s so many variables at play:

• Group size

• Gym space

• Varying abilities

Your entire model relies on executing it well.

Here’s how we structure our sessions for max enjoyment.

How We Programme Our Sessions

At Revamp, we have 3 phases to every workout.

1. Movement Prep (5 minutes)

2. Resistance Training (40 minutes)

3. Conditioning (15 minutes)

The strength component builds muscle.

And adding cardio at the end of each session ensures everyone leaves buzzing!

We build x6 different workouts and stagger them across 8 weeks to avoid repeated sessions.

For example, this Tuesday’s session becomes next week’s Wednesday session etc.

The Number of Weekly Sessions

This was the biggest question we had to answer at the beginning.

We didn't want to overload the timetable but we still needed lots of session options to allow flexible booking.

In the end, we went with the following 1 hour slots (for 75 members):

How We Manage Different Abilities

A common objection we hear in the sales process is, “What if I’m a different ability to others in the session?”.

This is something semi-private gym owners know all too well.

The way we handle it is using an Exercise Continuum, a method introduced to us by studio owner, Ashton at Evolve.

Here’s how it works:

Let’s use the example of a squat.

We slide members up or down the continuum depending on their ability.

A member aged 70+ with limited range can sit down on a plyo box.

While someone with more flexibility can turn it into a barbell squat.

This is where it’s the coach’s responsibility to tailor each movement to the members they have in the room.

Managing Our Session Capacity

We’re not blessed with a huge space at Revamp.

So our max capacity for each session sits at 1:6.

This is a nice number for any SGPT environment in my opinion.

It’s still effective but not too big where it doesn’t feel like personal training.

Another rule for figuring out your capacity is to allow 100 sqf per person.

For example, a 900 sqf open space can fit 9 people in a session.

When We Add More Sessions

There are loads of factors to consider before you add to your timetable.

• What’s your take up for each session?

• Are people swarming to a particular coach?

• What are the popular/unpopular times?

• What is the current churn rate in the gym?

All these questions help to build a bigger picture.

Your timetable might not be the issue. You may need to address something else in the business first.

A good rule of thumb is leave a 20% buffer for weekly bookings.

As soon as we see 80% of sessions booked up, we’ll consider adding to the timetable.

If you want to work out your member capacity, we’ve built a free tool you can use below.

Final Words…

Remember the biggest contributor to retention is session enjoyment.

In most semi-private gyms, people pay a premium for a great experience.

As long as you’re intentional about structuring your sessions (and listen to feedback), it’s hard to go wrong.

That’s it from us. Reply any time…

Cardy Brothers

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